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. 2025 Feb 19;113(4):524-538.e6.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.11.019. Epub 2024 Dec 23.

A brain-wide map of descending inputs onto spinal V1 interneurons

Phillip D Chapman  1 , Anand S Kulkarni  1 , Alexandra J Trevisan  1 , Katie Han  1 , Jennifer M Hinton  1 , Paulina Deltuvaite  1 , Lief E Fenno  2 , Charu Ramakrishnan  3 , Mary H Patton  1 , Lindsay A Schwarz  1 , Stanislav S Zakharenko  1 , Karl Deisseroth  4 , Jay B Bikoff  5
Affiliations

A brain-wide map of descending inputs onto spinal V1 interneurons

Phillip D Chapman et al. Neuron. .

Abstract

Motor output results from the coordinated activity of neural circuits distributed across multiple brain regions that convey information to the spinal cord via descending motor pathways. Yet the organizational logic through which supraspinal systems target discrete components of spinal motor circuits remains unclear. Here, using viral transsynaptic tracing along with serial two-photon tomography, we have generated a whole-brain map of monosynaptic inputs to spinal V1 interneurons, a major inhibitory population involved in motor control. We identified 26 distinct brain structures that directly innervate V1 interneurons, spanning medullary and pontine regions in the hindbrain as well as cortical, midbrain, cerebellar, and neuromodulatory systems. Moreover, we identified broad but biased input from supraspinal systems onto V1Foxp2 and V1Pou6f2 neuronal subsets. Collectively, these studies reveal elements of biased connectivity and convergence in descending inputs to molecularly distinct interneuron subsets and provide an anatomical foundation for understanding how supraspinal systems influence spinal motor circuits.

Keywords: connectivity; interneurons; monosynaptic rabies virus; motor system; neural circuits; spinal cord; supraspinal pathways; viral tracing; whole-brain map.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.

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